One Tin Soldier Rides Again!
He may not be made out of tin, and he might not even be made of steel but he sure is one tough guy. Cold weather never deters him, he goes out and slays down the trout in all weather conditions. He is as tough as they come! Tough as nails as they say! He gets there before all others and he leaves after everyone has already gone. Why does he brave the cold, large monster trout is why. Trout like you have never laid eyes on before. Trout that fight so hard it feels like they are going to rip your limbs off. Trout you write home to momma about. This day is cold and snowy with the temperature dipping below freezing. It does not really matter to him, he is going out fishing anyway and no one can stop him. He knows where the fish are and he’s on a mission to get them. He turns his cell phone off and he burns down to the river bank.
Once there he prepares his rod with the trout catching lure, he knows which one it is. He then makes a bee line up to the honey hole. He is finally there and heaves the offering out into the icy clear blue water of the river. The river is cold and the trout are lethargic so he slows his lure down so the trout can catch up. After a few pauses and some retrieves, he finds what he has been waiting all morning for. A huge Brown Trout blesses his hands. He takes special care with the fish and never leaves it out of the water for too long in the cold weather. A quick picture and back into the river. His first brute is over with and then on with the show, after all it is cold and snowing. He catches fish one after the other, brown after brown the rod tip bends with the weight of the cold flesh. “It doesn’t get any better then this” he shouts out with joy but nobody hears him but the trout.
After ten fish grace the shoreline, he breaks off his first lure and tie’s another on his line. This lure is colorful and should produce a few more trout. He finishes tying and out goes the Rapala. The first few casts produce nothing but on the forth cast he hooks up. This fish does not seem to fight like the first several. He reels in but the trout wants no part of the shoreline. The fish screams line out and battles fiercely but is no match for this soldier. He recovers the lost line the trout took out and finally sees what he has assumed from the first rod pump, a dark purple striped male Rainbow Trout. He unhooks the trout from the Eagle Claw hook and snaps a picture of this male brute. The colors in this fish are amazing. Man what a day! The sun is starting to disappear behind the smokey grey colored sky. He is by no means ready to give up. Up and down the river he walks and manages to hammer out a few more Brown Trout that make him want to come back and do it all again the next morning.
He is finally exhausted and sits down on the snow covered river bank pondering what just happened. Fourteen browns and one huge rainbow trout landed! Baffled about the days take, he wanders back to his vehicle tired but full of joy. This is why he braves the cold and ice covered banks, for days like these. He finally reaches his car and sits in the driver’s seat still wanting one more trout. It always works that way does it not, fifteen fish landed but he wants one more. I have a feeling you will see this soldier marching back to the river sooner than later!
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From one tin soldier to another, this kind of life-filled writing is good for the soul, the mind, the heart and all that goes into getting away to one’s river of choice. Nice job, Mike. I’m a bit more sane after reading this than I was before I started.
Twitter follow “ifishwrite”
Hey Dwayne, we both know that there was a time when my writing was sub-par. I met a nice chap from Idaho who offered to help me hone my writing skills and I was smart enough to take that offer. Now I believe my writing has improved since I met that kind chap from the States.
I too get sane after I fish my river of choice and then share it with others here on the Blog. Thanks very much for your comment and your help in the past.
~Mike.
we are all tin men Mike! great read! thx.
Hey Ari, yeah thanks for the comment buddy. I agree with you for sure. Hope you are doing great my friend.
We will talk soon,
~Mike.
Hi Mike,
I just keep wondering where is that you fish… even during these chinook winds, I can’t seem to find open water… I went out last saturday, and since I had no car, I walked from prince’s island down to inglewood.
I found no open water, a couple of SMALL holes… walked past the zoo, but everything’s frozen solid, even after 2 days of solid +5*C. I want to fish, badly, but can’t find the open water on the Bow. Am I in the wrong area, or do i just have to wait for 4 or 5 days of warm chinook winds to thaw everything out?
Hey Tony, the river above the water treatment plant is frozen solid this time of year. You need to be fishing below the water treatment plant which is located at the Calf Robe Bridge. You will NOT find any open water above the water treatment plant that is fish-able. You need to fish down river from it as they treat the waste water here and then release the treated water into the Bow River. This warms the water up and keeps the river from completely freezing solid.
The stretch of river that is fish-able now is from the Calf Robe Bridge down to or past Policeman’s Flats. The water is open and loaded with big Browns and some nice Rainbows as well. I was fishing just south of the 22X bridge this past weekend and caught some nice browns.
So grab a buddy with a car and get him or her to take you past the water treatment plant. That way you can fish and hopefully catch a few big boys.
Thanks for the question Tony,
~Mike.
hey Mike,
thanks for the info. I was just cruising around on your old posts from two years ago and I found that you mentioned it before… i guess I should’ve done my homework.
Today’s weather was pretty warm so I went to fish on Prince’s island. It had a pretty nice little pool/ice dam built by the ice, and I caught my first brown trout, ever! it shook its head like a maniac, and it was 3x the length of my multi-tool/plyers, at least 18″ if not more. Now i’m hooked into trout fishing (pun intended).
I’ll definitely try to get down past the water treatment plant when I get some time.
Thanks for the help Mike~
Tony
Hey Tony, that’s great news for sure. Lots of fun when you battle those scrappy Brown Trout hey!
Glad to hear you have the fishin fever now after your first brownie.
Your welcome for the help Tony, glad I could point you in the right direction. If you would like to take a trip this spring/summer to float the Bow River than please let me know.
Thanks,
~Mike.
oh definitely!! I just came from Toronto since January, and even in Toronto, I stumbled upon your blog! It’s such an amazing, local blog. It’s awesome!
When the weather warms up, I’ll definitely go for a float, or maybe a wade trip would probably suit me better. Either way, I’m definitely looking forward to warmer weather.
I have NO IDEA how to fish a river, and today is my first time catching a trout. I’m really looking forward to something like a guided trip. I want to actually learn something, instead of wasting my time trying to figure things out. In my book, it’s never a waste of money to learn things, especially if I get a friend out of it too!
I can survive on my own if im on a lake, but I’m clueless when it comes to moving water. I’m definitely looking forward to summer time.
Tony
Sounds great Tony, I will teach you all you need to know about river fishing. I have learned so much from other guides and seasoned fishermen alike. Like you, I always look for ways to improve my skills.
Moving water is a little bit of a challenge for most but once you get intimate with a river system you gain the upper hand. Where to look for fish in different seasons becomes less and less of a chore.
You just arrived into one of the best cities for serious trout fishing action. The Bow River will blow your mind! I look forward to having you out this summer either on the banks or floating. I suggest floating Tony as you will cover so much water and catch many fish. We will pull off the river and we can fish the banks as well. It’s by far the best way to fish the Bow.
So welcome to Calgary and welcome to the best river fishing in Canada for Brown’s and Rainbow’s. I look forward to guiding you this spring. Be safe out there Tony as the ice can sometimes be dangerous.
Cheers,
~Mike.
I can see how great the fishing is here in Calgary. I walked 10 minutes during lunch break with my friend, and fished out of the Bow river. Fished for 10min, in a crazy high winds, and got a bite and the trout jumped around a lot, but it didn’t hook in properly.
I bet there are plenty of large fish in the Bow River. I’m really impressed by it!! The large river in Toronto is the Humber River… Used to be good 40 years ago, but now it’s really polluted. Only time to fish the river is when it’s time for salmon runs.
I look forward to those float trips you are talking about.
Tony
Hello Tony, you want to be impressed just wait until spring after the run off happens. That is when fifty (50) fish in one float trip is very possible. I have had days when it felt like my arm was going to fall off and that’s no joke or a tall fishing story. This river has to be floated to get the full effect!
Glad to hear you are hooked on trout fishing the Bow River, it’s tons of fun for sure Tony. I will send you a video of me float fishing the Bow River so you can see what it is all about first hand.
Thanks,
~Mike.